Arthur's Point of View

Depths of the Hollow Forest

“Mara?” I asked through grit teeth.

“Mara.” He confirmed. “You see, most of her torment wasn’t at the hands of Thana like you believe, but at the hands of her brother.” Aydan told me sadly. “Well, the Demon inside her brother.” His hands waved toward me lazily. “I’m sure you know of Tor?” I nodded. “Much like Tor, Elias’s Demon was a close ally to Thana. If Tor was her right hand, Elias was her left.”

Leaning over, my own hands found my face as I tried to take everything in. “For how long?”

Bobbing his head up and down, he thought of the question as a few tears seemed to come to his eyes. “A long time. Couple hundred years, according to Mara.” Closing my eyes, I felt my lips tremble at that. “She underwent several experiments which resulted in several doppelgangers being created.” He then gestured to me as I looked at him. “Much like a certain Succubus.”

“Jesus Christ… So, Mara was cloned over and over again?” He nodded. “How many of these copies are out there? How will I know which is the real one?”

“If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know. Mara didn’t tell me everything. Only that she escaped with the help of Elias.” Another sigh came from his lips. “When Lucia was born, Elias took control one last time. It was during the war, and he only had a limited amount of time. With it, he freed Mara, put Lucia in stasis for Mara later, and was cast down by Rudnurth.”

Holding up my hands, I motioned for him to stop. “What do you mean he put Lucia in stasis for Mara? If that was the case, why do Arceana and Elincia have her?”

Scratching his chin, he looked down. “I’m not really sure how to tell you this, but Elias believed the child to be his.”

Standing in alarm at that, my eyes were focused on him as I felt my fists clench to the point a red mist started to come from them. Part of me begged that what he was alluding to was some horrible misunderstanding. Yet, with the look he was giving me, I knew better. My lip trembled as my body shook in anger and several other emotions.

“Elias’s Demon was monstrous in strength.” Then he leaned back as he looked up at me. “And he’s still alive. Elias received rather grievous wounds from Rudnurth, but the Demon was persistent. All of Klasteris was encased in his magic before they all disappeared. Leaving behind an exhausted Rudnurth and remnants of a Lestranian army.”

“…”

At my silence, he continued. “The clones that were given away to the Demon Horde were all assigned roles. Many died. Some escaped, and others are likely still with Thana’s forces. Although, Mara has hunted a great many of them down.”

“The Demon touched Mara…” It wasn’t a question, but Aydan nodded nonetheless. “And she endured this for hundreds of years?” Another nod. “Then… Lucia isn’t mine…”

Aydan stared at me for a moment before he stood. “I don’t know about that. The Demon inhabiting Lucia was quite amused when he found out she was pregnant. You see, she had cast several spells on herself to protect the baby no matter what she went through.” He even smirked as he continued. “Protecting a fetus in such a manner, hiding it, and preventing yourself from giving birth are all extraordinary feats. So, it’s unclear who the father is.”

“So, Lucia is either mine, or she was born of incest via Demon interference?”

“Which is why Elias was as adamant about protecting that child as Mara was. He stopped fighting altogether so he could preserve his magic for the right moment. Both Mara and Elias far surpassed anything I would’ve thought possible in their own situations.”

“…But you knew that Mara was pregnant?” I asked after a moment of silence. “How?”

Scratching his beard again, sat back down and motioned for me to do the same. “Well, I didn’t know she was pregnant. I know you went to her after a banquet, drunk and not in the right state of mind.” He told me. “Mara informed me of such the next day about everything you said and what had happened. That’s when I taught her the Elven techniques for helping with pregnancies.”

I frowned at that. “Aydan…”

The Sage eyed me for a moment before he shrugged. “I’m not the one who went to her in the middle of the night and said I loved her. Not that you would’ve ever admitted it otherwise. Mara knew that. That’s why she came to me horrified and why she was so terrified of what might happen to Lucia if they discovered that she really was your child.”

“So, even you don’t know.” This was a lot to take in. “What should I do, Aydan?”

“Well, if it means that much to you, I could probably find out who her father is. You brought her with you, didn’t you?”